


But Who Takes Care Of You?

by RichardGraysonPercyJackson



Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics)
Genre: Big Brothers, Bruce Wayne is a Bad Parent, Dick Grayson Needs a Hug, Dick Grayson is a hypocrite, Hurt/Comfort, I live for those fics, Self-Hatred
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-28
Updated: 2019-10-29
Packaged: 2021-01-05 17:28:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21212357
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RichardGraysonPercyJackson/pseuds/RichardGraysonPercyJackson
Summary: After a particularly terrible patrol, Dick goes to each of his brothers to comfort them in the aftermath and remind them that he's there to take care of them.But who's going to take care of him?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I love stories where Bruce is a terrible parent so here you go!

Patrol had been...shit.

Absolute fucking shit, that was all Jason could think to describe it as as he sat there in the cave, staring blankly at his feet while Bruce shouted at  _ someone _ somewhere else.

He wasn’t sure how long he sat there numbly before something warm was being pressed between his hands, hands pressed against his.

He jerked and looked up, shaking slightly as adrenaline surged through him only to instantly relax when he saw Dick standing there in a turtleneck and sweats, a small smile on his face.

“You okay Jay?” he murmured.

“Fine,” Jason replied, even though his voice was hoarse and he still had that little girl’s blood on him.

“Here, take a drink,” Dick said softly, prompting Jason to drink the hot chocolate in his mug. “Why don’t you take a shower, okay?”

Jason shook his head. “I need to get back out there.”

He flinched when the mug was remove and Dck’s hand - warmed from the ceramic - was pressed to his cheek, the acrobat’s slender fingers wiping away the blood.

“You’ve done enough, Jason,” Dick soothed. “You did more than enough. It’s time to take a break.”

“But-”

“Please?”

Jason let out a tired breath. Normally he’d shout and argue and  _ scream _ but tonight he was too tired so he just gave a weary nod, getting to his feet and heading back to the showers.

When he came back out a few minutes later, cleaned yet still feeling like he was covered in her blood, Dick walked over and prompted him to take the warm travel mug that must have had the hot chocolate in it.

“I can drive you somewhere for the night,” Dick offered. “I know you hate it here and I won’t make you tell me where your safehouse is.”

“I can drive myself.”

“Jason, you can barely stand straight.”

That was true. Jason was swaying where he stood. The younger cleared his throat and shrugged, staring down at the travel mug.

“Dunno where else I’d go,” he muttered.

“There are some nice hotels in the diamond district,” Dick offered. “No one would think anything of someone getting a room at three in the morning.”

There  _ were _ nice hotels but that was the problem because if Jason had a nightmare, if he  _ screamed _ …

“I’ll give you my address for my safehouse,” he finally decided.

“You sure?” Dick’s blue eyes were soft. “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

“I’d rather be there.”

“Okay,” Dick agreed, still using that gentle voice that was, honestly, helping Jason relax. “Do you have your stuff?”

Jason nodded, moving to stuff everything in a duffle bag before returning to Dick’s side and following him up to the manor’s driveway, the two of them getting into Dick’s car and on the road within ten minutes.

“Why are you doing this?” Jason asked quietly after he’d given Dick the address and it was set in the GPS.

“Doing what?” Dick asked, glancing over at him for a brief moment.

“ _ This _ ,” Jason replied, but there was no venom in his tone. “Taking care of me, making sure I shower, taking me home, going out of your way to-”

“Make sure you’re okay?” Dick asked with a small smile. “You’re my brother, Jay, it’s my job to take care of you.”

“Yeah, but-”

“Tonight wasn’t your fault,” Dick cut in. “No matter what Bruce might say, no matter what your own head might say, tonight was  _ not _ your fault. It was no one’s, do you understand?”

“I could have been faster.”

“We all could have been,” Dick reminded him. “You weren’t the only one out there, Jason. Her death doesn’t just fall on your shoulders. It falls on all of us.”

“But I  _ should _ have been faster.”

Dick nodded and Jason was sure he hadn’t been supposed to hear the acrobat’s next whispered words,

“Don’t you think I know how that feels?”

They were quiet the rest of the ride.

………………………………

“Get some rest, Jay,” Dick murmured once he’d pulled up to the safehouse and made sure Jason had everything.

“Thanks, Dick,” Jason said softly, surprised to find himself meaning it. “Really, I…” he licked his lips. “You didn’t have to drive me.”

“I’m the big brother, little wing,” Dick told him with a smile. “It’s my job to take care of you.”

“Yeah,” Jason murmured, stepping back and watching Dick drive away. “But who takes care of you?”

……………………….

“Where’s Tim?” Dick asked once he got back to the manor.

“Still working, I’m afraid,” Alfred replied

“His room?”

“Yes sir.”

“I’ll get him to bed,” Dick said with a smile. “Get some rest, Alfred.”

“And you as well I hope, sir.”

“Always.”

Bidding the butler goodnight, Dick turned and made his way up the stairs to Tim’s room, knocking lightly on the door before walking in.

“You should be in bed,” he told his brother.

“So should you,” Tim returned with turning away from where his eyes were locked on the computer, fingers flying across the keyboard. “You were out there too, Dick.”

“I didn’t almost drown,” Dick reminded him, leaning against the wall with his arms over his chest.

“No, but you  _ were _ strangled.”

Dick shrugged, fingers twitching though he ignored the urge to touch the ugly bruises he knew circled his throat under the turtleneck sweater.

“What are you working on?”

Tim didn’t reply for a few moments, fingers slowing down before he finally stopped and sighed quietly.

“The little girl’s father is still out there,” he murmured. “I have to find him before he kills anyone else.”

Dick nodded. He’d expected as much. Still, he walked over and placed a hand on Tim’s shoulder, pleased that his brother at least hadn’t started working on the computer again.

“He needs sleep too,” Dick told him. “He’s not going to try anything tonight.”

“You don’t know that.”

“No, not for sure,” Dick confirmed. “But what I  _ do _ know is that you’ll be no good to anyone if you don’t sleep.”

“I’ll be fine.”

Dick shook his head. “What about tomorrow night when we’re after him again? If you don’t get any sleep, you won’t be fast enough.”

“I’ll be-”

“Tim, at this right you’re going to get yourself killed too,” Dick whispered. “I know right now it seems like if you stop working for even a second, someone’s going to die again but...think of it this way. Put yourself in the position of a little kid out there.”

Tim shifted, Dick giving him a few moments. “Okay?”

“Would you prefer a hero who looks exhausted, barely dodging every blow? Or do you want one who can take the bad guy down and save you in seconds?”

Dick heard Tim swallow and knew he’d hit the nail on the head. “I-”

“Did you get a shower?”

“Not yet.”

“Go shower,” Dick instructed. “Please, Timmy?”

Tim sighed, slumping down in his seat and running his hands over his face before looking up at Dick.

“Why are you doing this?” he asked.

“Doing what?”

“ _ This!”  _ Tim replied, unaware that he was repeating the exact words Jason had said only an hour earlier. “Checking on me, trying to get me to sleep, going out of your way to-”

“Make sure you’re okay?” Dick asked with a small smile. “You’re my brother, Timmy, it’s my job to take care of you.”

“Yeah, but-”

“Nothing that happened tonight is because of you,” Dick said firmly. “The man tried to drown you, Tim, it’s okay to be a little slower.”

“But I could have been  _ better _ !”

“We all could have been,” Dick said gently. “You were not the only one out there, Tim, and you nearly drowned.”

“But that little girl-”

“Her death isn’t just on you, it’s on all of us.”

“But I  _ should _ have been better!”

Dick nodded and squeezed Tim’s shoulder. “Get a shower, Timbo.”

Tim nodded and finally stood, making his way to his ensuite bathroom but not missing Dick’s whispered words that he knew he hadn’t been supposed to hear.

“I should have been better too.”

……………………..

“You don’t have to tuck me in, Dick,” Tim murmured with a small smile as Dick adjusted the duvet around his little brother.

“I know,” Dick said with a smile, adjusting the duvet once more until Tim batted his hands away with a fond smile. “But I’m the big brother. It’s my job to take care of you.”

Tim nodded, watching Dick slip quietly out of the room before murmuring under his breath,

“But who’s going to take care of you?”

…………………….

“I know what you are here for,” Damian said, sitting up in bed when Dick slipped in.

“Oh?” Dick asked, smiling as he walked over to his littlest brother’s bed, taking a seat and grinning at Damian. “And what might that be?”

“You’re here to tell me that her death was not my fault,” Damain replied. “That I could not have seen her father coming to strike and could not have stopped it from happening.”

“That’s exactly right, Dami,” Dick told him. “It’s not your fault. You did everything you could but you were distracted trying to help Tim. Which, might I add, was very kind of you.”

Damian scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest and looking away. “It was merely the most efficient use of my time,” he declared. “I am not as big as you or father and Todd was distracted with ensuring the girl did not bleed out.” he scowled at DIck. “he failed miserably.”

“Damian,” Dick said firmly, pleased when Damian at least looked down, looked guilty. So Dick reached out to place a hand on Damian’s shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze as he softened his tone. “It’s not Jason’s fault. Nor is it yours or Tim’s or Bruce’s. As much as I hate to say this, she was going to die even if we got her to the hospital in time. She’d already lost too much blood.”

“Why are you doing this?”

Ah yes. He seemed Dick  _ was _ going to be having the same conversation three times that night. Four time, maybe, if Bruce felt like speaking to him. 

Which, considering the way the man had yelled at him earlier, was unlikely. So, deciding to skip a step, Dick jumped to his line.

“I’m taking care of you because you’re my little brother, Dami,” he explained. “I’m the big brother, it’s my job.”

Damian huffed. “It shouldn't be.”

“Well, it is,” Dick declared in his best ‘that’s final’ voice. “Now, lay down and actually try to go to sleep tonight.”

Damian heaved a sigh but did as he was told, rolling over closing his eyes. “Very well, Grayson. If it will make you happy.”

“It would, very much,” Dick replied with a smile. He reached out and gently ruffled Damian’s hair, pleased when Damian didn’t object with anything more than a scoff. “Goodnight, Damian.”

Damian didn’t say anything though he did quietly watch Dick go, wondering to himself that Dick took care of all of them but who took care of Dick?

…………………………

“Bruce-”

“You were irresponsible tonight, Dick.”

And here was the conversation Dick had been dreading all night. Here was the reason Dick had chosen to talk to Bruce last. Because he knew there was no way he could have so easily lied to his brothers if he’d let Bruce tear him down first.

“I know.”

“Do you?” Bruce demanded. “You should have been faster, Dick. Should have been better. You should have seen him before he ever had a chance to fire that gun. What were you thinking!?”

“I was thinking I had to handle his partner before the man could kill me,” Dick said calmly. “You remember he tried to strangle me, right?”

“This isn’t about  _ you _ ,” Bruce said firmly, standing and marching over to Dick who easily held his ground, even as inside he died a little. “This is about the little girl who died tonight because you couldn’t break the hold soon enough.”

Dick nodded. Part of him wanted to throw Bruce and his brothers under the bus. To remind the great Batman that Nightwing hadn’t been the only one out there last night. But he couldn't do that, couldn’t blame his brothers.

Jason had been thrown into a wall before the girl was shot, Tim had been pushed off a roof into the bay, Damian had gone after him.

Dick had just been useless tonight. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.

“I don’t want apologies, I want results,” Bruce said firmly. “You’re benched from patrol in Gotham for the next three months.”

Dick nodded. He’d expected as much. Actually, he’d expected Bruce to throw him out of Gotham permanently like he had when Dick had been fired as Robin.

“Go home, Dick,” Bruce said firmly and Dick broke just a little more inside. It didn’t matter if he considered the manor home or not, it would still hurt to hear Bruce say that and know the man didn’t consider the manor DIck’s home.

Hadn’t. Not for a long time.

Nodding, Dick turned and left, amazed he managed to get back to his apartment in Bludhaven in once piece.

He didn’t sleep that night. He couldn’t afford to, couldn’t afford to waste that time sleeping when he could at least  _ try _ and find the man who killed that little girl.

Bruce might not accept his help but maybe Dick could find some way to pawn the information off onto Jason or Tim or Damian, let them take the credit and make sure Bruce praised them.

His brothers needed Bruce’s attention more than he did, anyway.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the events of the night before, Jason, Tim, and Damian team up to take care of Dick like he took care of them

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dick kinda has a break down but I don't THINK it's like a panic attack.
> 
> So just a heads up he does cry and maybe freak so I am so sorry in advance. Let me know if it IS a panic attack and I'll add that into the tags ASAP

“Congratulations, Todd, you’ve been recruited.”

Jason blinked down at the two in front of him. “Come again?” he finally asked.

“Damian thinks Dick is blaming himself for that girl’s death last night,” Tim explained.

“That’s bullshit,” Jason objected even though he  _ did _ remember Dick’s comment… “Where’s your proof?”

“He never mentioned himself, when he informed me it was not myself, nor Drake’s or father’s faults,” Damian declared.

“And Dick’s always taking care of all of us,” Tim explained. “But let’s be honest, does Bruce really seem like the kind of person to take care of Dick?”

Jason opened his mouth to object but the fact of the matter was that no, Bruce didn’t seem like the type of person to take care of anyone.

“He seems more like the person to…” understanding clicked in Jason’s head, moreso when he remembered hearing Bruce yell at someone shortly before Dick pushed him to the shower. “More like the type of person to yell and put the blame-”

“On Dick,” Tim concluded. “Who spent last night telling us it wasn’t our fault.”

“Grayson also did not remain in the manor for the night, despite the late hour,” Damian pointed out.

“Well alright then,” Jason declared. “Lemme grab my shoes and wallet. We’re going to storm goldi’s apartment.”

………………………………

Dick groaned quietly, woken by the sound of someone knocking incessantly at his door. He was so tired he felt like crying. He hadn’t gone to sleep until his body had passed out on the bathroom floor around eight AM - yeah, he knows that’s not healthy, shut up - and he’d only just crawled into bed fifty minutes earlier.

Finally, headache blooming behind his eyes and the knocking not helping Dick pulled himself out of bed and stumbled through the apartment, leaning heavily against the doorway as he opened the door.

“Uh...hi?” he asked, frowning at Tim, Damian, and Jason. “You guys okay?”

“We are,” Tim replied. “You, however, look like-”

“Shit,” Jason supplied, shouldering his way passed Dick. Which wasn’t weird in and of itself cause Jason had a habit of inviting himself in places regardless of whether the owner wanted him there or not. What  _ was _ weird was the way Tim and Damian followed after him like ducklings.

Frowning, Dick closed and locked the door, forcing himself upright and turning to face his brothers.

“Everything okay?” he asked.

“What did Bruce say last night?” Jason asked, arms crossed over his chest.

Dick frowned. “What do you mean?”

“We know Bruce lectured you after you took care of the three of us,” Tim explained. “About last night?”

“Oh, Timmy,” Dick said. “It’s...it’s nothing to worry about. I can handle myself.”

“Can you?” Jason asked. “What time did you go to sleep?”

Dick blinked. He didn’t reply. Jason pressed on.

“You dropped me off around three-thirty or so,” he began. “Would have taken you around thirty mintues to get back. You talked to Tim at four, he showered, you probably talked to Damian around four-thirty.”

“And then Bruce lectured you,” Tim said calmly.

“ _ Yelled _ ,” Damian corrected. No one had actually heard Bruce yelling but they weren’t stupid. They knew Bruce was hardest on Dick and they weren’t even sure why.

It had always been that way.

“Guys-”

“What time did you get back to Bludhaven, Dick?”

Dick sighed. “Six maybe?” he said, wording it like a question. “Bruce and I talked for about thirty minutes-”

“Bruce screamed at you for thirty minutes,” Jason corrected.

Dick rolled his eyes. “And it takes an hour to get home from the manor. So I probably got back around six.”

“Uh huh,” Jason said. “And what time did you go to sleep?”

Dick waited a beat too long. “Eight. I had some things I needed to get done before I-”

“Did you go to sleep?” Tim cut in. “Or did you pass out?”

“There’s a difference?” Dick asked with a self-deprecating smile that slid off his face. “I can handle myself.”

Jason took a small step forward. “Dick, you know her death wasn’t your fault, right?”

“It was.” and the brothers were surprised it had been this easy to see Dick break in front of them.

None of them had wanted that. “Dick-”

“It was my fault,” Dick protested, taking a small step back and wrapping his arms around himself. 

“I should have been faster.” Jason flinched.

“I should have been better.” Tim sucked in a breath.

“I should have seen him coming.” Damian scowled.

“Dick, you were hurt,” Tim finally said when it was clear Damian and Jason were too pissed for words. “The man’s partner was strangling you! He was a metahuman, he was trying to kill you!”

“I should have broken the hold sooner.”

“Who told you that?” Jason asked. “Bruce?”

“He didn’t need to,” Dick snapped, blue eyes blazing. “He had a point. I was too slow last night, it’s my fault! She’s dead because of me and you all almost got hurt because of me!”

Dick’s eyes were shimmering with tears until he closed them, one dripping down his cheek as he placed his hands on his hips, taking a few deep breaths.

“I’d like you to leave, please,” he whispered.

“No.”

He opened his eyes again, staring at the ground as he processed the words before looking up at his brothers.

“What?”

“We said no, Grayson,” Damian declared, taking a seat on the couch and crossing his arms over his chest. “You are our brother, as you always insist on reminding us. You took care of us last night, now we will take care of you.”

Several thoughts went through Dick’s head as potential replies.

_ Don’t waste your breath.  _ Hell no.

_ I can handle myself.  _ You already said that, they don’t give a shit.

_ Fuck off.  _ Too harsh.

“Thank you, but you don’t have to do that,” Dick finally settled on. “Really, guys, I’m-”

“Dickiebird,” Jason said, walking over to clap a hand on Dick’s shoulder, not liking the way the acrobat swayed at the touch. “You look like you’re one word short of falling over and passing out.”

“Well I  _ was _ asleep when you guys came,” Dick muttered.

“That proves our point even more, Dick,” Tim said gently. 

“How?”

“It’s three forty-five in the afternoon.”

Huh. Dick had  _ not _ known that. “I-”

“Here’s what’s going to happen,” Jason declared. “You have three choices right now. Eat. Shower. Or sleep.”

“What?”

“Pick one.”

“Jason-”

“You took care of us, Dick,” Tim said from the couch, eyes pleading. “Let us take care of you. Please.”

Dick looked torn, looking between the three of them. They could see how badly he wanted to keep trying to be the untouchable big brother but the fact of the matter was that he’d already broken in front of them.

Why not break all the way and trust that they would be there to catch him.

“Okay,” Dick whispered. “Okay.”

Jason smiled. “Alright, so choice?”

Dick licked his lips. “Sleep?” he asked.

Jason nodded. “We’ll wake you in an hour.”

Dick wanted to object that he needed more sleep than that but he forced himself to trust his brothers and thus shuffled back to the bedroom, flopping down in bed and rolling over.

He was out like a light a minute later.

………………………………..

“Now what?” Tim asked once they were sure Dick was asleep.

“Now we wait,” Jason replied. “When he wakes up, we ask if he wants to shower or eat. After that choice, he does whatever’s left.”

“Then what?”

“Then we’ll all watch a movie.”

“And we continue remind Grayson that last night was not his fault.”

“And then we kick Bruce’s ass.”

“Agreed.”

……………………………

When Damian woke Dick up an hour later the acrobat...actually felt a lot better. He was still  _ beyond _ exhausted but he was better. Once he’d stretched and shuffled out to the living room, he was given the option to eat or shower and since he was pretty sure he’d fall asleep if he got in the shower, he chose to eat.

“Why are you guys doing this?” Dick asked.

Jason, Tim, and Damian shared looks before glancing back at Dick. “Doing what?” they all asked.

Dick cursed himself for falling into the exact conversation he’d had with each of them the night before, only reversed.

“You know what.”

“Maybe we want to hear you say it.”

Dick heaved a tired sigh. “This,” he mumbled, fighting the urge to smile. “Making me sleep, making me eat…” he hesitated before adding, “Going out of your way to-”

Three voices chimed in, “Take care of you?”

This time Dick did smile. “Yeah.”

“You’re our brother, Dick,” Jason said firmly, placing a strong hand on Dick’s shoulder.

“You might be the older brother whose job is to take care of us,” Tim added.

“But it’s also our jobs to take care of you,” Damian declared, arms crossed over his chest.

Dick was pretty sure he was going to cry if only because his brothers had literally never worked together like this a day in their lives.

It was just hard to believe that it was all because he was a mess.

……………………

Later, once the four of them were curled up on the couch, a movie playing quietly in the background and Dick half asleep on Jason’s arm, the acrobat mumbled,

“Doesn’t B wonder where you are?”

“Nah,” Jason replied, flexing his fingers which had gone numb awhile back.

Dick’s eyes fluttered as he shifted and frowned up at Jason. “I wasn’t asking you,” he said before looking over at Damian who was pressed to his other side, Tim sitting on the floor and leaning back against Dick’s legs. “I meant the little ones.”

“We are not little, Grayson,” Damian said with a huff.

Dick hummed, yawning and freeing his arm from Damian to rub his eyes before he asked,

“Okay, so where does Bruce think you are?”

Tim shrugged, turning to look at Dick. “Alfred knows we’re here. He offered to keep Bruce distracted.”

……………………….

AT THE MANOR

“Alfred?” Bruce asked, looking around the empty table. “Where’s Damian?”

“With Master Timothy, sir,” Alfred replied as he set Bruce’s dinner in front of him.

“Uh huh,” Bruce muttered, looking over Alfred with a frown. “And where’s Tim.”

“With Master Jason.”

Bruce narrowed his eyes. “And where’s Jason?”

“I’m afraid I cannot answer that, sir.”

…………………….

“Yeah, okay,” Dick muttered. “I’m sure that’s going to work out. You guys know Alfred won’t lie to Bruce, right?”

“He doesn’t have to lie,” Jason pointed out. “He’s just gotta mislead.”

“Alright, if you all manage to pull one over on the world’s greatest detective, then I’ll take the three of you out to the movies.”

“And Alfred.”

Dick smiled. “And Alfred.”

With that said, he leaned back against Jason and turned his attention back to the movie on the screen.

Their family might have been dysfunctional but there were two facts that would always hold firm.

Dick took care of his little brothers and his little brothers took care of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoyed!!
> 
> I actually enjoyed writing this!!

**Author's Note:**

> : )
> 
> Gonna add a chapter two for some much needed Dickie comfort!!
> 
> Let me know your thoughts!!


End file.
